Components are mounted to computer motherboards in various ways. One advantageous way is by using ball grid array (BGA) technology, wherein a BGA module is provided with small solder dots or balls arranged in concentric rectangles that both mechanically attach the module to the board and that establish electrical connectivity between the module and board. This direct mounting allows for a smaller chip size which in turn allows for greater logic densities because of the larger amount of chips that can be mounted on the module, as well as better heat dissipation than with traditionally packaged chips. BGA modules are often used in mobile applications where conventional pin grid array (PGA) chips would take up too much space due to the length of the pins used to connect the chips to the circuit board.
As recognized by the present invention, minimizing failed solder joints between BGA modules and the motherboard is becoming increasingly complicated. For one thing, mobile devices are much more likely to dropped or banged or otherwise mechanically stressed, which can lead to solder joint failure. For another thing, evolving regulatory standards can sometimes dictate the use of relatively weaker solder, e.g., lead-free solder. Having made these critical observations, the solution herein is provided.